


Day 4: Kisses – Kissing it Better

by 221b_hound



Series: Techienician: Botanical Love [5]
Category: Dredd (2012), Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: 30 Days of Techienician, 30-Day Fic Meme, Anger Management, Co-workers, M/M, Techienician, Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:33:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7936573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221b_hound/pseuds/221b_hound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt's had a bad day at work. He knows he gets in bad moods about that, and he knows his bad moods affect Techie, and he hates that. He tries not to let his moods hurt Techie. But Techie knows him, and loves him, and he wants Matt to know that everything's all right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 4: Kisses – Kissing it Better

**Author's Note:**

> Posting Days 3 and 4 early as I won't be online to post over the weekend. See you on Monday with Day 5!

Matt comes home late. He comes home limping because Jex deliberately banged into the toolbox, knocking it off the workbench, and he didn’t get his foot out of the way in time. It only caught him on the edge of his workboot so the bruise is small and the damage slight. But Shift Supervisor Leslee is now blaming him for the fact that it’s still zero days since the last accident.

Matt comes home to their quarters weary and head bowed and wondering why they don’t just kriffing leave him _alone_. Pick, _pick, **pick**._ He does good work, but it’s slow and methodical and he’s never fast enough for Leslee or anyone. They mess about, kicking his wrench away just as he needs it or stealing his glasses or bloody impersonating his walk.  Jex and Parvinak are always very careful that the only officer who ever catches them at it is Shift Supervisor Leslee, who cares more about her muffin breaks than what goes on with those two and him.

Matt used to get so mad. He’d yell. He’d storm and rage, and those two would laugh because he won’t hit them. They think it’s because he’s not brave enough to hit them, or that he’s scared to get into trouble.

That’s not the reason.

Matt knows that when he gets angry, Techie goes quiet. Techie says he knows Matt isn’t angry at him, and doesn’t think Matt would ever hurt him. He says he feels safe with Matt.

And yet he goes quiet. He goes small. He makes himself still. And Matt hates that anything he might do would make his Techie go quiet and small like it means that will keep him safe when it never really did.

Matt comes home and strips in the dark because the lights are off, which means Techie is asleep. Quiet as he can, Matt puts his overalls, boots and tool belt away. He puts his glasses on the cabinet beside the bed – next to his kkortree – and limps to the refresher. After washing, he gets a healing cream for his foot, washes his hands, and limps back to bed.

The covers are pushed aside. He can just make out, by the glow of the clock and by their own internal luminescence, Techie’s eyes looking at him.

“They’ve been at you again,” observes Techie.

“Sorry,” Matt says _. Sorry for being late. Sorry for being bad tempered. Sorry that I ever make you feel bad._

But Techie only pats the mattress. “You didn’t do anything,” says Techie. Techie reaches out for Matt’s hand and takes that big, broad hand in his own slender one, and he kisses Matt’s fingers. “Come to bed.”

Matt goes to bed and can’t quite look at Techie because he still feels bad about how his moods affect the man he loves. But Techie is sitting up and fussing, helping Matt lay back just so, and then Techie leans up Matt’s heavy body and presses his lips to Matt’s.

“I missed you,” says Techie. He kisses Matt’s lips again, and then the corner of his mouth. “I always miss you when you’re not with me.”

Matt doesn’t know what to say to that. He misses Techie too. He doesn’t have to be right next to him every second, but he likes knowing where Techie is. He likes it when they’re working in the same area of the ship and all he has to do is look up and turn his head and he can see Techie’s red hair or his slim back bowed over a work station, or his beautiful hands flying over the controls as he communes with the computers.

Techie kisses Matt’s cheeks, and then the tip of his nose. He bumps the tip of his own against Matt’s, draws back to smile sweetly, his blue mech-eyes dilating wide to see him in the dim light. He delicately and softly nips at the end of Matt’s big nose and kisses it again, and finally Matt huffs a reluctant laugh.

“I can’t see you properly,” he confesses.

“I know,” says Techie, “But I see you.”

It’s true. Techie sees him. Matt knows that other people can feel a bit uncomfortable with Techie’s bionic gaze on them, but he only ever feels known by that gaze. He only ever feels understood. He likes that Techie knows so much about him just from looking – including how recently he has shaved, how hot his skin is at any given moment, whether there are any smears of dirt he’s acquired while working and missed in the wash-up. Techie always gets a cloth and finishes the job. Techie sees him and takes care of him.

“I love you,” says Matt, the words tripping out over how thick the love feels in his throat.

Techie kisses Matt’s forehead and his temples. He kisses Matt’s messy yellow hair and the tops of his ears. He kisses a line along Matt’s long jaw to his chin, and then presses their lips together again.

“I love you, too,” says Techie. Another kiss, their mouths pressed sweetly together, then parting, and the tip of Techie’s tongue slides against Matt’s lower lip, then against Matt’s tongue. Techie is pressed up close all along Matt’s body and his hands are in Matt’s hair and they kiss, languid, for a good long time.

Matt’s not sure if he should feel bad that he’s too tired to get more than a little hard, but then, Techie isn’t very hard either.

“Go to sleep,” says Techie, “I’ve got you.”

Matt knows that, except for his darker moods, he makes Techie feel safe. He didn’t really, properly know until right now that Techie makes him feel safe too.

He sighs, contented, his big hands resting on Techie’s narrow waist. They kiss some more, and then Techie kisses Matt’s cheek again, and his shoulder, and his chest, until he’s snugged down right against Matt’s body, his cheek on Matt’s broad chest, one arm curved across Matt’s thick waist.

Matt loves how Techie fits against him. He loves how Techie is nearly as tall as he is, and so slight, but the weight of Techie against his body is anchoring and comforting and perfect. Matt nuzzles his nose into the top of Techie’s head – making Techie giggle – and he kisses the crown of red once, twice, three times.

And then they go to sleep, calm, warm, content –


End file.
